House fire kills two in Bay View

Two people are being held for investigation of two counts of murder and one count of arson in relation to a fire that killed two children on Bayview Road early Saturday morning that fully engulfed the house in flames.

Kimberly Hughes, 31, and Jaramy Chism, 24, are both being held for investigation, according to the court affidavit, on $2 million bail. According to a Washington Court records search, Hughes has been a defendant in 27 other criminal proceedings in Skagit County, including a previous attempted arson in 2014, where, according to the affidavit, she set fire to a laundry basket full of clothes. She said it was because her boyfriend at the time was cheating on her.

Chism has no prior convictions, according the affidavit.

Seven fire districts arrived at the scene and worked until dawn to battle the blaze, according to a Saturday press release.

Those who witnessed the fire, including neighbors Bob and Carol Eaton, as well as Fire Chief Bryan Ekkelkamp of Fire District 2, described it as a fire whose flames covered the whole house.

“It was a defensive fire, there was no way to even get in there,” Ekkelkamp said. Afterwards, the situation was handed over to the Skagit County Sheriff’s office for investigation.

The two children in the house died in the fire, while all three adults made it out. All suffered injuries from the fire.

The homeowners, Bryan Bachofer and Jessica Starr were awoken by their roommate Jacob Motz, who with Bachofer tried to put out the fire as Starr went to retrieve the children. As Starr tried to break open a window on the second floor for her and her children, she fell through and landed outside of the house.

Bob and Carol Eaton said they heard Starr ringing their doorbell frantically, and opened the door to find her covered in black soot and blood. Three days later, there was still evidence of the fire in their yards and smudges on the doorbell from when Starr arrived.

Carol Eaton described it as the worst thing she’d ever experienced. Eaton said Starr was in shock. She tried to care for her, while calling 911.

When Carol Eaton went out to look at the fire she saw, “Bright orange embers landing in my yard and chunks of white paint flying off the house.”

Chism and Hughes were evicted from the Bayview home by Bachofer on Tuesday, July 11. Chism was also fired from Bachofer’s company two weeks earlier. Following these events, Chism threatened Bachofer that he would sue them or burn their house down, according to the affidavit.

Hughes had made several Facebook posts that indicated she was seeking revenge.

“For once after every one whose done me wrong who I’ve never gotten the chance to deliver retribution to, this time I think I deserve vengeance,” Hughes said in a Facebook comment July 7, later that day also posting that she was being evicted for not agreeing to “illegal terms.”

Since their names were released, Facebook users have flooded Hughes old profile posts with comments regarding the investigation and attacking the couple. Both Hughes and Chism’s profiles are now deleted.

The couple, Hughes and Chism, according to the affidavit, were together all day before the fire and stopped at a Fred Meyer to get gas before going to bed at midnight. The affidavit states that their car appeared to have been used that night; and that there was a gas can in the car.

Preliminary testing indicated gasoline was used to start the fire, according to the affidavit. Hughes and Chism were arrested in Sedro-Woolley and taken into custody Saturday at 6:30 a.m.

The children attended a kid’s program at a local church, but those who know the family have been asked not to discuss anything until the investigation is over and due to the tragic nature of the events. The children were 8 and 6 years old, according to the affidavit.